My 3foot Galactica attempt

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stephen.irl

New Member
This is my very first attempt at a serious model. I started with a few small warm up models before I tackled this one. Took me around 50 hours and I really enjoyed making it. I used 220gsm card which on completion I now was far too heavy. If I was doing it again I would use much lighter card but at least now I have a nice strong model (which in a way I suppose is a good thing in a house with small children and delicate things that look like nice toys to play with).

I know it’s no museum piece now but I'm happy enough with the final result, despite a few gaps and a little too much white showing. I even got the landing bays to almost retract fully.

I welcome any and all comments or tips and advice. I'm still spotting improvements I could make. Does anyone have any tips on how they fill in the small white pieces showing? I was thinking of using markers but I don't want to wreck after putting in so much effort.
 

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stephen.irl

New Member
A few more pictures
 

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wccrawford

Novice Papercrafter
That's pretty nice!

I use 110 lb cardstock (around 200gsm, I think) myself, and while it feels awful heavy, the next step down is pretty fragile for something that large. The first time some ham-fisted wonder picks it up, you'll be glad you used the heavy stuff. :) It also gives it quite a bit of weight, which feels good for weapons when you are holding them.

For my last few models, I've been doing the marker thing to fix the white edges. But the key is to do it -before- you glue so that you don't have to get marker on anything else. It's really hard to just catch the edge without marking the design.
 
M

Maico Shark

Great job & cool subject. How are you going to display it? Looking forward to your next project.
 
You can use markers, or I prefer to use pencils. I have a set of good soft artists pencils in a variety of colours. I tended to find ink would soak into the paper or card and bleed through sometimes. you don't get that with pencil!

As mentioned before, edge colour before glueing, as it is

a) easier
b) PVA glue will tend to prevent the marker from colouring properly.

Colour the edge of the card, and onto the flaps themselves if you are worried that some will show. It's a simple technique to master once you know :)

Mind you...the pictures don't show too much white. I have found myself that the larger a model is the harder it is to get long edges to line up perfectly. The errors scale up with the model size. Whilst it is good to be self critical so you try harder next time.... this is not at all bad for a first big project.
 
Very nicely done! Second Flare on the edge coloring. As part of your dry fitting parts before gluing - look closely to see what will be exposed (edges) and what might be visible (mating surfaces, "around the corner," etc.). You can color them with a marker (test first to see if it bleeds between layers of the card, clean cuts with a sharp knife minimize this problem) or even a pencil (haven't found a good gray colored marker). The color match need not be perfect, just close since you shouldn't see much of it. Anything that tones it down will improve the look over a bright white edge or spot in a field of dark color.

Yogi
 

stephen.irl

New Member
Thanks for the comments guys. Thats a great idea about colouring before you glue. I hadn't thought of that. I'll try that out on my next model.

I hadn't really thought about displays either. I was pretty excited to build when I found it. I suppose I could start a set now. There's a few more Galactica models I have waiting on my to-do list :rolleyes:
 

sjsquirrel

Member
Edge coloring

Hey Stephen,

She looks beautiful to me. One of these years I'll get around to building one myself.

Just the other day I ran across a recommendation on another forum for Prismacolor premier double end art markers. They come in a fabulous range of colors. I've ordered a set of gray tones for myself as I find the grays hardest to match. I also use watercolor paints on models that have unusual colors as you can mix the paints to get a good color match.

Regards,

Steve
 

stephen.irl

New Member
Thanks again for the great comments.

sjsquirrel: Thanks for the advise. I keep an eye out for those. I heard sharpie markers are good to.

F131 & CP1963: It's a great model to build and fits together really well (with very clear, easy to follow instructions). If you’re thinking of building it and your pretty new to this (like me :icon_smile:) I'd advise having a go at the 3foot instead of the 1.5foot model. I tried the 1.5foot model as my very first build thinking it seemed like a nice small model, good for a beginner, how hard could it be........ I failed miserably. Some of the pieces were just too small and it was way beyond my level of skill. The 3foot model on the other hand, being much bigger I found easier to build as it wasn’t as fiddly. Enjoy though. It’s a really good build.
 

ShadowKnight

New Member
Great looking model. Have you thought about getting a photo of outer space maybe a nebula printed into a large wall graphic on a poster printer and covering a corner of one of your rooms? You could hang the Galactica from the ceiling on fishing line and still have room for a Colonial Fleet to go with it.

ShadowKnight
 

stephen.irl

New Member
Great looking model. Have you thought about getting a photo of outer space maybe a nebula printed into a large wall graphic on a poster printer and covering a corner of one of your rooms? You could hang the Galactica from the ceiling on fishing line and still have room for a Colonial Fleet to go with it.

ShadowKnight


That would be some display alright. At the moment I'm really inspired by ekuths TOS Galactica and the great miniture work he's done and i'm trying to build my own tini vipers to finish off the model (trying being the key word).

Anyone know where I can get a 1:500 viper Mk2?
 

Lord Manimal

New Member
I just wanted to add that there is actually a tougher, and much better stock to print on for inkjet printers anyway called couger opaque index stock, item 7703. It's actually thinner per sheet than the 220gsm papers say from georgia pacific, prints infinitely better for inkjet printers, and is rated at 216gsm, although it seems a misnomer. It's 80lb index stock, but it seems as though the paper fibers are thinner, longer strands that grants this stuff it's incredible strength for being thinner. It's a bit more pricey however, at around 10 cents a sheet by the time you factor in shipping, but depending on your volume, (I buy a case at a time) it goes way down. Cheers!
 

Gearz

Member
For a first serious attempt, you have every right to be proud of your build mate. Crisp and true! you've got the hardest part nailed, the finer points will come with practice.

~ Do I smell natural talent here..? lol Very nice build !

:thumb::thumb::thumb:
 
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